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Sportsbook has the Royals as the longest of longshots

So you’re saying there’s a chance?

March Madness Viewing Party At The Westgate Las Vegas Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

The Royals are in a rebuilding year, and while they won’t admit it, they’re probably not going to be contenders for the post-season. But in baseball, there’s always hope, right? I mean, few expected the 2014 Royals to win the American League pennant (Bovada had them at 33/1 before the season).

But the odds are certainly stacked against the Royals this year, after losing two of their top hitters, their top starter, and four of their top relievers from a year ago. According to the Bovada Sportsbook, no team in baseball has longer odds to win a championship than the Royals. The rebuilding Royals are tied with the Marlins and Tigers at 500/1 to win it all, meaning if you bet $1 on the Royals, you would win $500 when they hoisted the trophy in October. The oddsmakers like the Astros to repeat as World Champions, and more money has been placed on Houston than any other team, with 21% of all money bet on a repeat.

Odds of winning a World Championship

Championship odds Odds % of $ bet on team
Championship odds Odds % of $ bet on team
Houston Astros 17/4 21.83%
Los Angeles Dodgers 5/1 17.16%
New York Yankees 13/2 11.54%
Chicago Cubs 15/2 10.06%
Cleveland Indians 15/2 3.13%
Washington Nationals 9/1 3.96%
Boston Red Sox 12/1 5.17%
St. Louis Cardinals 20/1 2.03%
Los Angeles Angels 25/1 2.65%
New York Mets 25/1 1.34%
San Francisco Giants 25/1 4.54%
Arizona Diamondbacks 30/1 1.02%
Milwaukee Brewers 30/1 2.60%
Minnesota Twins 30/1 1.52%
Toronto Blue Jays 40/1 1.57%
Colorado Rockies 50/1 2.15%
Seattle Mariners 75/1 0.89%
Philadelphia Phillies 150/1 1.30%
Baltimore Orioles 150/1 0.54%
Pittsburgh Pirates 175/1 0.29%
Atlanta Braves 200/1 0.20%
Chicago White Sox 200/1 0.48%
Oakland Athletics 200/1 0.49%
Tampa Bay Rays 200/1 0.61%
Texas Rangers 200/1 0.82%
San Diego Padres 200/1 0.31%
Cincinnati Reds 250/1 0.49%
Detroit Tigers 500/1 0.49%
Kansas City Royals 500/1 0.81%
Miami Marlins 500/1 0.29%

The odds of winning an American League pennant are a little less daunting, with the Royals at 100/1, although only the Tigers are a longer shot than that. Baseball Prospectus has their playoff odds out, and their projections have Bovada as being too optimistic. According to their projections, the Royals are the only team that has a 0.0% chance of making the playoffs.

So sure, we knew the Royals likely weren’t winning the World Series this year, but just how successful will they be in the standings? Bovada doesn’t seem high on their odds of having a winning record, projecting the over/under on their final win total to be 71.5. However, that would still put them third in the division, ahead of the Tigers (68.5) and White Sox (68).

Over/under win totals

Team O/U Wins
Team O/U Wins
Houston Astros 96.5
Los Angeles Dodgers 96.5
Chicago Cubs 94.5
Cleveland Indians 94.5
New York Yankees 94.5
Washington Nationals 92.5
Boston Red Sox 91.5
Arizona Diamondbacks 85.5
St. Louis Cardinals 85.5
Los Angeles Angels 84.5
Milwaukee Brewers 84.5
Minnesota Twins 82.5
Colorado Rockies 82
San Francisco Giants 81.5
Seattle Mariners 81.5
New York Mets 81
Toronto Blue Jays 81
Tampa Bay Rays 77.5
Texas Rangers 77.5
Philadelphia Phillies 75.5
Atlanta Braves 74.5
Oakland Athletics 74.5
Cincinnati Reds 73.5
Baltimore Orioles 73
Pittsburgh Pirates 73
Kansas City Royals 71.5
San Diego Padres 69.5
Detroit Tigers 68.5
Chicago White Sox 68
Miami Marlins 64.5

What do you think? Are you taking the over or under on that win total? Any other teams you think are sure bets on the over or under?